The long-term goal of this proposed RIMI Program at Morgan State University is to establish a Biomedical Research Center by initially creating an interdisciplinary environment that fosters collaborative research across the disciplines of Biology, Chemistry and Psychology. The primary goal is to establish an interdisciplinary biomedical research environment across the disciplines of Biology, Chemistry and Psychology with the goal of laying the groundwork which will eventually lead to the establishment of a Biomedical Research Center. This will be accomplished by establishing a program at Morgan State University with: (1) a Research Administrative Unit that consists of the Principal Investigator, the Program Director, the Administrative Assistant and an Advisory Committee; (2) an Infrastructure Component that includes the assembling of a critical mass of faculty and support personnel necessary for the development of research capabilities in the identified areas of research foci; (3) a faculty development moiety, and (4) research in specific research foci around which thematic research interest of faculty can be developed. In addition to the administrative unit and the infrastructure component, the following research activities have been identified for the initial development using funds from this RIMI program. These research foci include: #1 - Stress and Cardiovascular Disease; #2 - AIDs Research; and #3 - Neurodevelopment/Neurodisorders. In this proposal the investigators in each of these research foci have identified the aspects of the research to be developed and have succinctly spelled out their objectives and goals. For example, the major goal of these foci is to assemble a critical mass of research faculty from Biology, Chemistry and Psychology to conduct investigations that forge collaborative partnerships with nearby institutions such as Johns Hopkins University, the University of Maryland at Baltimore and Howard University. Our ultimate goal is to use the capabilities established by this RIMI program to put in place the requirements necessary for the implementation of a M.S./Ph.D. program in the Biomedical Sciences and to establish research programs in these research areas that are centered on the health concerns of the Urban environment. The anticipated results of these research activities will be (1) increased research capabilities and productivity of faculty; (2) increased academic competitiveness of faculty; (3) the development of graduate programs in the biomedical sciences; (4) the establishment of a Biomedical Research Center at Morgan State University; and (5) enhance most of the academic preparedness of our students, such that minority students access to Ph.D. training in the Biomedical Sciences will be increased.